Low CARBS Dieters!!!!!

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brendaschmitt1
brendaschmitt1 Posts: 218
in Health and Weight Loss
So I know the low carbs diet definately works. I'm just wondering how many grams of carbs are people eating a day. Plus I heard you must take potassium pills when on a low carbs diet because if not it may cause muscle cramps.(plus your heart is a muscle)

Also, if you workout and are only eating a few carbs do you have the energy for the workout or not, since carbs give you energy?

Just wondering,... please only helpful comments not mean ones. I notice some people are just out to attack other people on the message board.

Replies

  • byrnet18
    byrnet18 Posts: 230 Member
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    When I first started dieting 2 years ago I tried to eat around 60 grams of carbs a day. It's tough to do but I lost almost 40 pounds in 6 months. I've done a cyclical ketogenic diet where you ony eat carbs from veggies and that was super tough to maintain. I only did that about a month but lost almost 10 pounds. Now I just try to keep around 100-150 grams a day. I usually do my workouts in the morning when I am still in a fasted state and I feel that I have pleanty of energy. Hope that helps.
  • wendy007uk
    wendy007uk Posts: 6 Member
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    Yes it really does work. I too started on about 70-80 g of carbs a day, but increased by protein to about 110g and my fat to about 60g to compensate. Now I have stabalised at 120g carbs, 100g protein and 40-50g fat and on that i now mainain my weight and dont feel tired. The initial tiredness lasts about 1-2 weeks. The hardest part for me was finding all of the right foods for this to work and that was trial and error. Good luck
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I have been on no more than 100g net since May 7th, and I workout 3-4x a week. no issues with energy. I did reduce my workouts, but it was more because I had trouble eating enough to compensate for a 500 calorie burn 4x per week--and I still lose the same amount on 35 min of cardio that I did on 65 min of cardio.

    I lost 4.8 pounds the first week, and have averaged about 1.3lbs a week since the second week. It doesn't sound like much, but before I reduced my carbs it took me 3 months to lose 7 pounds. After reducing carbs I lost 14 pounds in 2 months!
  • brendaschmitt1
    brendaschmitt1 Posts: 218
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    If you feel weak on the low carbs do you pick up the carbs immediately or just deal with it and wait until you feel better? Or eat carbs then the next day go back to low carb?
  • spcr0428
    spcr0428 Posts: 51
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    I just listen to my body!!! I try and do low carb and if I eat carbs, go back to getting protein WITH the meal too. When I cut out all carbs except veges and fiber, I couldn't exercise and always felt dizzy: that can't be healthy! I now try and just make sure I have protein at each meal and make good carb choices (oatmeal, berries, fiber one cereal, high fiber english muffins, etc). Good luck; in the end (at least in my case), it has been calories in < calories out to lose!!!
  • barbielovesgym
    barbielovesgym Posts: 43
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    I eat less than 20 carbs a day. I feel so much more energized than when I ate a lot of carbs. :)
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Less than 30g of carbohydrates per day, that's British carbohydrates that don't include fibre.
  • HausfrauB
    HausfrauB Posts: 104 Member
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    40g net because I can stick to it without suffering! Also, I avoid the manufactured low-carb products.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I try to keep my carbs below 100g a day. But I have diabetes so I do it as a matter of necessity. But, yes, I am losing weight. I do some cardio about 5 times a week but just to keep moving rather than get ripped. :D
  • DebbieMc3
    DebbieMc3 Posts: 289 Member
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    I try to keep my carbs under 20 but will go up as high as 50.
    I get terrible legs cramps if I don't take potassium.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
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    My goal is about 15% of my calories from carbs - to me, that's generally below 75g. Sometimes, if I want to lose a bit more, I'll keep it to a little less, but to me that's a pretty achievable goal for most days.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    My dietitian says that you get the exact same amount of energy per gram of protein and carbs, so the theory that you need carbs for energy isn't true. I eat 1500 calories a day, 30protein/30fat/40 carbs which is 150g carbs, 110g protein, 50g fat. Find this works well for me and i have lots of energy! x
  • quill16
    quill16 Posts: 373 Member
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    Typically I eat 100 g carbs, 100g protein and 50 g fat. I also have a gluten allergy and was prediabetic, which were my reasons for staying away from carbs. I exercise 2hours a day (treadmill and pool). I lost about 10 lbs a month in 18 months.As the weight came off, I felt better and had more energy.It is easier to move less weight around. I must admit the one thing I did notice was that when I started running on the treadmill, it seemed I had an extra energy boost.
  • allisonmrn
    allisonmrn Posts: 721 Member
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    I try to eat less than 50-60g of starchy carbs per day. So that includes potatoes, rice, oats etc. I do not include carbs from fibrous veggies in this number. But as far as energy is concerned, start here with this amt of carbs, and if you find that is not enough, add several bites of starchy carbs to the first few meals of the and see how you do. Everyone is different and depending on the workout they do or how active their lifestyle is, they may need more carbs. It really is individual, and what works for one may not work for another. Like one of the above posters, I also increase my healthy fats(avocado, nuts, olive oil) when my carbs are low and that helps ME feel fuller, longer. And usually once or twice a week, I will throw in a high carb day(like twice what I normally take in) just to change it up a bit. I hope this helps, but remember its a personal journey, YOURS...Take advice and try it. Find out what works for YOU and leave the rest.
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
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    I eat 20g or less per day, work out 9x per week (plenty of energy!), do not take potassium (no leg cramps), but I do take extra fiber (psyllium husk powder).

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